Knesset advances bill recognizing Torah study as national value amid coalition split

Tensions within the coalition surfaced after Shas initially pushed language calling for equality of rights between soldiers and Haredi students.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

The Knesset on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading a Basic Law proposal that would enshrine Torah study as a fundamental state value, advancing legislation backed by Orthodox (Haredi) parties.

Critics say the initiative could broaden conscription exemptions for yeshiva students while expanding state benefits for those exempt from military service.

Sponsored by MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni, chairman of the United Torah Judaism’s Degel HaTorah faction, the bill passed by a vote of 56-43 with government support.

A parallel proposal from the Shas party is also expected to advance and could be merged with Gafni’s initiative.

The legislation seeks to enshrine Torah study as “a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people” and to recognize long-term Torah study as a “significant service” to the state—a designation that critics say could carry legal and financial implications regarding military conscription exemptions.

Critics argue the wording carries sweeping implications for the legal and financial status of Haredi men who do not serve in the military.

“Torah study was what sustained the Jewish people for thousands of years; it was the people’s refuge in all periods,” Gafni said.

Granting the proposal Basic Law status would give it quasi-constitutional weight in Israel’s legal system.

Tensions within the coalition surfaced after Shas initially pushed language calling for equality of rights between soldiers and Haredi students.

The wording was later removed following objections from lawmakers, including figures in the Religious Zionist camp.

The vote exposed rare coalition dissent. Coalition MKs voting against the legislation included Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz of Likud, MK Moshe Solomon of the Religious Zionist Party and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel of New Hope.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the legislation, saying, “What does this law have to do with Torah study? This is a law to finance evasion. This is not a law about Torah, this is a law about money.”

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett warned the measure “will seriously harm the State of Israel,” adding that “without a functioning economy and without an army, we simply cannot live here.”

The proposal now moves to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for further debate. Basic Laws in Israel serve as a quasi-constitutional framework, giving additional legal weight to legislation of this kind.

The governing coalition has been strained by its failure to pass legislation addressing conscription exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students, a long-standing and politically sensitive issue.

An estimated 80,000 Haredi men eligible for military service have not enlisted.

Coalition leaders dependent on Haredi political support have repeatedly struggled to find a compromise acceptable both to Haredi leadership and to Israelis demanding equal military service obligations.

The military has begun preparations to conscript yeshiva students after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that exemptions for the Haredi community were illegal.

Military service is compulsory for most Israeli citizens. However, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and the country’s leading rabbis reached an informal “status quo” arrangement that deferred military service for Haredi men studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions.

At the time, no more than several hundred men were studying in yeshivot.